Programs

Humanities SHEQAB - FAQ

Why did the Premier come to campus?

Premier Brad Wall was on campus to formally announce that
Briercrest College is authorized to award a Bachelor of Arts in
Humanities. Authorization was provided through The Degree
Authorization Act and The Degree Authorization Regulations, which
came into force in the fall of 2012. Prior to this, only the
University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina had the
authority to grant degrees, other than theological degrees, in the
province. The newly created Saskatchewan Higher Education Quality
Assurance Board (SHEQAB) reviews all applications for degree
granting authority before they are approved.

"Briercrest is known across Canada for its academic
excellence. We are pleased today to recognize that by authorizing
the college to provide a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, this is
the first time this has been done outside the province's two
universities."
Premier Brad Wall

Why does the Saskatchewan government's authorization
matter?

The government of Saskatchewan's authorization and SHEQAB's seal
of approval is important to us for two reasons. First, it is
another affirmation of the quality of education that we offer and,
second, it helps our students who are going on to further study
because other academic institutions often look for provincial
government approvals when assessing entrance qualifications.

"This approval tells us that another vital external witness
has found us to be offering high quality education that is worthy
of being called a bachelor's degree in Canada. For our BA
Humanities students, this gives them one more thing to tell
employers and other institutions that would be assessing their
degree and its recognition. It's another endorsement for the
studies they've completed." Dr. Dwayne Uglem

How long has Briercrest been working toward this?

This process began decades ago following the recommendation of
the Briercrest board, but started to gain momentum over the
last several years as Dr. Uglem worked closely with government
officials. It has always been our mandate to provide outstanding
Christian education and now we are being recognized for that
quality.

"Over the last 20 years there have been lots of moments
where it felt like this journey could go on forever. But the minute
we began to see a policy framework emerge, we knew that at least it
was possible. It was just a matter of waiting to work through the
procedure in the right way. So, the hope really came with the
Degree Authorization Act being approved last June. As soon as that
happened, we knew that the next steps were just a matter of
time."
Dr. Dwayne Uglem

"I think I've worked with eight ministers since the journey
began in my experience," Uglem recounted. "I've worked with several
deputy ministers and lots of government staff."

I thought Briercrest already offered accredited degrees?

We do; our degrees are accredited by the Association of Biblical
Higher Education and Association of Theological Schools. For over
75 years we have been providing outstanding Christian education to
our students. This is just an additional stamp of approval and an
assurance of quality for the people of Saskatchewan and academics
across Canada.

What is the role of the Saskatchewan Higher Education Quality
Assurance Board?

SHEQAB's role is to review each degree presented to them and to
forward a recommendation to the Government of Saskatchewan. The
government will not approve any degrees that do not meet the strict
SHEQAB standards. We are thankful for this step and it will help us
maintain our high standards.
"Saskatchewan has created a quality assurance board and
Briercrest was absolutely first in line to submit itself to it.
Briercrest is pleased to work with this board." Dr. Dwayne
Uglem

What does this mean for our MSU agreement?

The MSU agreement is independent of this authorization; however
this authorization does affirm the decisions of universities like
MSU to recognize our degrees and work with our students.

What does this mean for our current students?

Our students will be able to transfer into this newly authorized
degree track. The college will work with these students to
make transitions as seamless as possible.
Students will be able to graduate from this degree after July 1,
2013.

What does this mean for our graduating students - can my degree
be grandfathered in?

This authorization is not retroactive. Students with
previous versions of the BA Humanities degree (or other Briercrest
degrees) may apply to have their degree assessed to determine what
would be required to complete the requirements of the authorized
degree.

How does this affect our other degrees?

The authorization of the BA Humanities degree doesn't lessen the
value of any of our degrees. Briercrest's academic policies and
practices are the same for all of our degree programs.
However, with this new authorization protocol in place, Briercrest
will be submitting other existing and new degrees for this same
authorization. The next two degrees we will submit are BA degrees
in English and History.

How do I know which degrees are approved already?

Currently only Briercrest's BA Humanities degree has been
reviewed by SHEQAB and authorized by the Ministry of Advanced
Education. As we move forward, the degrees authorized by the
ministry will be listed separately on web menus and the SHEQAB seal
will be displayed on each of the approved degree program pages.